Human rights campaigners on Tuesday urged Royal Dutch/Shell to improve its environmental policy, seizing the platform of the energy group's Dutch annual meeting in Scheveningen to accuse it of "polluting communities and destroying lives"...Peter Paul de Vries, from VEB, the Dutch shareholder association...urge[d] a special meeting to consider the issues...suggesting members of the board sacrifice a week's holiday to spend time in troubled communities. The company defended its environmental record but said it took seriously the concerns raised. Rob Routs, a member of its new executive board, said: "We are not perfect but we are working hard to improve our environmental record." Mr [Jeroen van] der Veer [Shell Chief Executive] promised to meet with one campaign group to discuss the matter further. However he said that such issues were "not a matter for The Hague or London, but local management who should consult with local stakeholders".